No link between vaccinations and autism says CDC study

A new study found no causal link between certain vaccine types and autism.

The study was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and published in the Journal of Pediatrics.

Parents have long been concerned about vaccines and their relationship to a higher risk of developing autism. In particular, vaccines for MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) and vaccines containing thimerosal have been suspect. These concerns are in spite of the 2004 study carried out by the Institute of Medicine which concluded that there is no causal link between these vaccines and autism spectrum disorder.

Number of vaccinations a top concern

The top concerns parents have about vaccines is the number of vaccines children are given during the first 24 months of life, the number of vaccines that are given in a single visit, and whether there is an autism link. These concerns were reported by a third of the survey respondents. More than half of the parents responding stated that they would not vaccinate their children using the recommended immunization schedule.

No link found to ASD

The researchers in the CDC study looked at the amount of antigens babies received on one day of vaccinations and the amount of antigens they receive in total during their first two years of life. Antigens are the substance in vaccines that make the immune system produce antibodies to destroy disease. Researchers confirmed the findings of the IoM study and found no link between autism spectrum disorder and vaccines.

Less antigens in today’s vaccines

They compared 256 children with ASD to 752 children without the disorder. There was no difference in antigen exposure. Children who started to show signs of ASD had the same number of antigens as children who did not develop ASD.

Researchers also found that the number of antigens children are exposed to has decreased in recent years. In 2013 children on the routine schedule received 315 antigens compared to thousands in the 1990s. Vaccines today are different.

“This study demonstrates that autism spectrum disorder is not associated with immunological stimulation from vaccines during the first two years of life,” according to the online communique by the CDC.

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